Time Management

07/02/2017

One of the best ways I've found to get things done, especially big things (big always being relative to what you're comparing it to), is to start with a small bite-sized chunk rather than attempting the often-overwhelming whole at once.

For example, did you ever have a room of your home that somehow, over time, turned into an absolute disaster area? Your garage maybe? What happened when it finally got to you and you set aside the time to straighten it out?

Well, if you're anything like me, when the day came to do it you stood there staring at the overwhelming pigpen and quickly reached the conclusion that it'd best be done another day.

Whereas, if you'd decided instead, at set time, rather than attempting the whole at once, to put or throw away just one small thing, what do you think would happen?

Well, again, if you're anything like me, odds are, you'd find the putting or throwing away of the one small thing rather easy and enjoyable, so you'd go back and do another, and then another, and then another, and then another, and, before you knew it, the whole would be done in what seemed like no time flat, and it didn't feel like such a big deal after all.

Same principle applies to any project or task you want to tackle, especially one you've been putting off, because every single time you think about it you immediately go into overwhelm...

Take one small chunk of it, something simple, preferably something that can be done in just a few minutes or less, and do it. Then do another and then another. Pretty soon, you'll find the momentum you've developed will have you plowing through the project or task faster than you ever thought possible.

It's sort of like the old kid's joke...

How do you eat an elephant?

The answer being...

One bite at a time!

And it all starts with the first bite; however small it may be.

For more actionable tips that'll help you become a "doer" who gets things done, again, I highly recommend my Wallace D. Wattles Productivity Acceleration Guide. Click or tap the link below to get your copy today.

06/14/2017

Do you spring into action, or do you sit around and think about doing something - without actually ever doing it? Are you super organized? Can you move from one project to another seamlessly? Are you exhausted at the end of the day, or do you get a surge of adrenaline every time you check one more thing off your to-do list?

Simply put - "doers" get things done. "Thinkers" like to say they've made progress, but, in reality, they accomplish very little on a daily basis.

If you'd like to turn yourself into a "doer", it's easier than you think. Just incorporate these 4 tips into your daily routine:

1. Make a to-do list.

Whether you're slaving away in the office or trying to make things more manageable at home, a to-do list is a great way to turn yourself into a "doer". Figure out which tasks are most important, and put them at the top of your list. When you successfully complete a task, savor the feeling of scratching it out.

Just make sure you've really completed the task before you check it off. "Doers" don't cheat or try to rationalize; they simply get the job done.

2. Reward yourself.

You're more likely to take action if you know there's something good waiting for you at the end of it. So, when you charge through that to-do list, give yourself a reward. The good vibes you experience will motivate you to keep taking action.

3. Tap into the power of visualization.

Got an important task? Close your eyes and imagine yourself handling it! The key to visualization is to sit somewhere quiet and clear your mind. The only thing you should be concentrating on is the task at hand. Picture yourself - in detail - tackling this task. Visualize yourself completing every single step, and those thoughts will actually give you enough energy to get up and take care of the task for real!

If you have a really big task, you can use visualization in chunks. For example, picture yourself tackling the first portion. Then get up and do it. After that, return to your quiet space and visualize the next part of the task. Dividing everything up will make even the toughest of challenges seem more manageable - meaning that it'll be easier for you to tackle them!

4. Make sure your mind is in the right place.

Sometimes, even the best "doers" can't come up with a solution. Instead of trying to force your mind to problem-solve, give your brain a breather. Clear away those stressful thoughts, take some time to relax, and come back to tackle the problem later. (You can even sleep on it if you want!) The clearer your mind is, the easier it'll be for a solution to pop into your head.

Even if you're not struggling with a specific solution, it's important to have the right mindset. In fact, a positive attitude is crucial to becoming a "doer". Seeing the bright side or the silver lining can be challenging at first, but if you really focus on the positives, they'll eventually start coming to you automatically.

Also, spend your time with other happy people. If you're surrounded by Debbie Downers, it's going to be impossible for you to maintain the positive attitude that you need.

Bottom line - if you change the way you think, you can change the way you act!

Want to be a "doer" who gets things done? I highly recommend my Wallace D. Wattles Productivity Acceleration Guide. Click or tap the link below to get your copy today.

10/25/2015

Even the most successful people only have 24 hours in a day, so how do they manage to cram so many good things into their limited time?

Easy! They make productivity a priority!

By making a few simple changes, you can turn your day into a lean, mean, productivity machine. Here's what you need to do:

1. Get up an hour earlier.

What do your mornings typically look like? Do you fly out of bed and into the shower, barely taking time to guzzle down some coffee before you hop in the car and speed off to work? Whether you realize it or not, all of that rushing around stresses you out - and people who are stressed are never as productive as they could be.

So, get up an hour earlier, and start the day off right. Give your brain some time to actually wake up and ease into the day, and then think about everything you want to accomplish - and actually prioritize things. Those extra 60 minutes can make a major difference!

2. Never, ever multitask.

We're all capable of multitasking, but there's no one on the planet who's capable of multi-focusing. When you do two things at once, each thing is only getting half the focus it would be getting if you did it all by itself. If you want to be productive, you've got to have laser-sharp focus. That means doing one thing at a time, doing it right, and then moving onto the next thing.

As amazing as it sounds, you'll actually check things off your to-do list faster when you stop multitasking!

3. Turn off your phone.

Smartphones come with a near-endless array of capabilities. You can check your email, log into your social networking sites, download some new apps, and make purchases. But once you get started on this smartphone rollercoaster, it's almost impossible to stop! Before you know it, your phone has soaked up hours of your time, and you haven't accomplished anything legitimate!

On those days when you absolutely-positively-need-to-be productive, turn your phone off. You can check it at lunchtime. And, yes, that funny Facebook post and all of those voicemails and texts will still be there when you get around to switching your phone back on.

4. Hire a virtual assistant.

Outsourcing has become easy, affordable, and downright commonplace in the last few years. Think you don't have any tasks to outsource? How about that business report? How much time would you save by dictating it and then sending it to someone else to transcribe? What could you accomplish with all of that extra time?

There are tons of VA companies out there, and even websites like Fiverr.com that can help you delegate your more boring, menial tasks so that you have a chance to be more productive and less stressed.

5. Just say "no" to time-wasters.

We all know "that guy" in the office - the one who treats work more like a social club than an actual job with responsibilities. It's fine to chat with your co-workers, but when you've really got to be productive, these time-wasters are a complete pain in the you-know-where.

How do you politely tell them to leave you alone, without hurting anyone's feelings?

Tell them that you're super-busy, but that you'd love to catch up at lunchtime (after you've turned on your smartphone to do a quick check!). Say it politely, firmly, and respectfully, and they'll understand. And, if you get used to doing it on a regular basis, these time-wasters will never slow down your productivity ever again!

In his article on time, the first of seven articles in his What Is Truth? series, Wallace D. Wattles wrote:

"Time is; and we must use it, whether we will or not. And the use we make of present time decides the use we shall be able to make of future time; just as the use we made of past time has fixed our place in present time. The use we make of today decides the use we shall be able to make of tomorrow."

No doubt about it!

He went on to say this:

"To be strong and wise is to be able to use time well; and to use time well is to become continually stronger and wiser. Success, growth and development are only attained by the right use of time; and we are failures today in exact proportion as we have erred in our use of time past. To know the right use of the present moment is therefore of immense importance; and to have the will to make the right use of it is more important still. If man can - and will - make the right use of every moment of time, he must certainly become a being of marvelous power and wholeness. Oh, the wasted time! The misspent time! The lost time!"

If you'd like to dramatically (and I do mean dramatically) increase your productivity and do it fast (real fast!), I highly recommend reading my Wallace D. Wattles Productivity Acceleration Guide. Click or tap the link below to get your copy today.

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Prefer paperback?

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By the way, if you haven't already, I highly recommend you read "Time" and the other six articles in Mr. Wattle's What Is Truth? series as they're fundamental to his entire philosophy. Click or tap the links below to get your copy today.

06/08/2014

If you've got a ton of things that need to get done ASAP, you probably think the best way to tackle them is to do them all at once. After all, if you can type up that important report while you're sitting on that important conference call, you've made your life easier.

Too bad it doesn't actually work this way though!

If you're a proud multitasker, you've actually created bad habits that're forcing you to waste time.

How's that possible?!

There's more potential for mistakes when you try to do more than one thing at a time. Think about what your report would look like if you tried to write it up during a conference call. Do you think it'd be as interesting (or as free of spelling mistakes?) as it would if it had your undivided attention? And what about the other people on your conference call? Do you think they'll be happy if they only hear a few cursory "uh huhs" from you?

Unfortunately, the human brain just isn't capable of doing several things at once - at least not if you want to do those things at 100%. So, instead of multitasking, here are 4 other things you can do to manage your time more effectively:

1. Actually update your daily calendar.

Whether you like the calendar app on your smartphone or the tried and true handwritten day planner, you've got to get a calendar that can be updated daily - and you've got to stick to this routine.

And, be sure to have only ONE calendar. If you try to keep a separate calendar for your work life and personal life, you'll undoubtedly double-book yourself.

2. Don't plan for an entire project.

Odds are each of your projects is made up of several smaller tasks. So, instead of writing "Do financial report" on your calendar, list each task - like "Calculate numbers", "Double-check receipts", "Create spreadsheet", etc. That way, you'll be able to check off each tiny task you accomplish. And, more importantly, you may discover that certain tasks can be delegated to someone else - meaning you'll get to free up some of your own time in the process!

As an added benefit, breaking up projects like this makes it easy to figure out if you'll need to get specific materials in advance. For example, by putting "double-check receipts" on your to-do list, you'll remember to ask your client for their receipts before you get to work - instead of panicking when you realize you don't have the receipts and the project is supposed to be finished tomorrow.

3. Let your brain focus on one thing at a time.

If you want to get things done properly, you've got to give them your undivided attention, so try your best to schedule important things for a time when you know you'll be uninterrupted. After all, a constantly ringing phone or an endless stream of drop-in visitors will make you lose your train of thought, and it'll make the project move along a whole lot more slowly!

4. Work with a team the right way.

Working as part of a team can make a project go faster -depending on how well the team is coordinated. Before you begin, break the project up into smaller tasks and assign each one to someone on the team. Then, figure out a deadline everyone can live up to. That way, you maximize the entire team's chances for success, instead of trying to make up for a team member that couldn't finish on schedule.

As an added benefit, working this way means your chances of developing bitterness among teammates are much lower. Now that's time well spent!

Speaking of time well spent, some of the best (and most helpful!) productivity and time management advice I ever read came from Tim Ferriss' book The 4-Hour Workweek (the 3 chapters of "Step II: E is for Elimination" in particular). I highly recommend it! Click or tap the link below to get your copy today.

05/29/2016 Update: Want to compress time and accomplish in one day what it takes everyone around you two days, three days, five days, or even ten days to accomplish? I highly recommend my new Wallace D. Wattles Productivity Acceleration Guide! Click or tap the link below to get your copy today.

10/27/2013

Yes, there are only 24 hours in a day... and yes, you're going to spend about 8 of those hours sleeping. But what about the rest?

If you're like most people, you probably feel like you never have enough time to get everything done. Whether you're working or playing, you probably wish you had more hours to take advantage of.

The good news? You've got more time than you think!

Believe it or not, you choose how to spend your 24 hours. You may not always be conscious of those choices, but they're there. So, by changing a few of them, you can get a whole lot more quality time out of your day.

But first, you've got to figure out where you're wasting time. Here's what you're doing instead of being productive:

1. Talking and thinking.

On the surface, this might not sound so bad. However, talking and thinking are complete time-wasters when you could be out there doing, instead!

What happens when you have to make a decision? Do you move forward quickly and confidently, or do you toss the options back and forth like a tennis match? Most of the decisions you make aren't worth all of the time you spend thinking about them. So, in the end, you've wasted a whole bunch of time!

How do you avoid falling into this trap?

Stop over-thinking. If you have to, set a timer, so you don't have a chance to over-think. If you feel like you've got to discuss the situation with someone else, pick one person (instead of talking to your entire circle of friends). That way, you can streamline the thought process.

2. Creating "time buffers".

If you think you can't move directly from task to another, think again! If you're one of those people who hops online to play a game in between tasks or watches some TV in between crossing items off your "To Do" list, stop. These "time buffers" are a complete waste of your time, and it only takes a couple of them to have you scratching your head at the end of the day, wondering where all of the time went!

Instead, go from task to task with purpose. If you make a conscious effort to keep track of your time, you'll be less likely to fall victim to "time buffers".

3. Not setting goals.

If you don't have a plan for the day, you're going to just drift along, wasting hours in the process. Always figure out what you want to accomplish when the day begins. Even if all you want to do is message some friends on Facebook and do some laundry, keep those goals in mind all day long. That way, you won't get to the end of the day and realize you wasted your time and didn't accomplish anything!

05/17/2015 Update: Want to compress time and accomplish in one day what it takes everyone around you two days, three days, five days, or even ten days to accomplish? I highly recommend my Wallace D. Wattles Productivity Acceleration Course! Click or tap the link below to get started today.

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